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Iraq conflict: India unable to contact 40 citizens in Mosul Iraq conflict: Forty Indians abducted in Mosul
(about 4 hours later)
India says it is unable to contact 40 of its citizens in the violence-hit Iraqi city of Mosul, with some reports saying the men have been kidnapped. India has confirmed that 40 of its citizens have been kidnapped in the violence-hit Iraqi city of Mosul.
A 24-hour helpline has been set up for the families, and authorities say a special envoy is being sent to Baghdad to strengthen the Indian mission there. The men were construction workers, a ministry of external affairs spokesman said. India had not received any ransom demand, he added.
On Tuesday, the government said it was in touch with 46 nurses stranded in a hospital in Tikrit. A 24-hour helpline has been set up for the families and a special envoy is being sent to Baghdad.
On Tuesday, the government said it was in touch with 46 Indian nurses stranded in a hospital in Tikrit.
Tikrit and Mosul are under the control of the militant Sunni group ISIS.Tikrit and Mosul are under the control of the militant Sunni group ISIS.
They are among a number of Iraqi towns and cities seized in the past week.They are among a number of Iraqi towns and cities seized in the past week.
Reports on Wednesday said the 40 men missing in Mosul were construction workers.
"Despite our best efforts, we haven't been able to establish contact with them at this stage," foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said.
Mr Akbaruddin said he could not speculate on the "unfortunate reports", adding that former Indian envoy to Iraq Suresh Reddy was being sent to Baghdad on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the nurses stranded in Tikrit have told BBC Hindi that they are safe, but a new management which has now taken over the hospital has refused to pay their salary arrears pending for two to four months.
The nurses said they were confined to a dormitory within the hospital and had no work for the last few days because only the emergency department at the hospital was working.
While a group of 14 nurses want to return home, the others say they want to work in other safer parts of Iraq.
India says it is in contact with the Red Crescent and the United Nations, but it is safer for the nurses to stay put in the hospital since it is not safe to travel by road at the moment.
India has issued a travel advisory asking its citizens to not travel to Iraq and those already there to leave.